President's Day - Today is President's Day. Washington's Birthday was the first federal holiday. Eventually, it was moved to the third Monday in February to provide a 3-day weekend and connect to Lincoln's birthday as well. It represents a time to honor Washington and all US Presidents.
This has been harder to do in recent years. I find myself unsettled by the steady coarsening of our highest office. In recent years we have watched a presidency marked at times by language that demeans and divides, where public discourse sounds more like insult than statesmanship. We have also have seen sexual deviation
inside of the White House and heard a President give sworn testimony that abused the meaning of words to obscure private misconduct. These failures are not confined to one party or one personality. They remind us how easily it is to erode the dignity of an office meant to symbolize the nation’s moral seriousness.
One of my strongest grievances is the shrinking of expectation. When vulgarity becomes strategy or scandal becomes survivable, something in the civic soul dulls. The presidency is not merely executive authority; it is a moral stage in our country and even before the world. Perhaps the "prophet" - Barack Obama - saw more than he realized when he said, "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation...." The fidelity of the person who occupies the Presidency inevitably shapes what the country comes to excuse or imitate.
Contrast that with one quiet scene from 1797. As his term ended, George Washington stepped away from power—voluntarily. There was no constitutional requirement forcing him to do so. He could have remained (we would have possibly slipped into monarchy). Instead, Washington surrendered authority and returned to private citizenship, establishing the precedent that no man is indispensable and that the republic is larger than its leader. That act of restraint may have been one of the most morally formative moments in our national story. It isn't how we gain power or that we have power perhaps as much as it is our willingness to lay it down. Jesus was the greatest model of laying power down - His was
ultimate. And, as an example, He told us:
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:26-28). A President that serves His people this way? May God bless America again
this way.
- Banquet. Thanks to those who helped with the banquet. . . I heard many glowing reviews. May God encourage us to be One Another in our homes and to those we worship with at SSB. May God bless our marriages to be images of Christ and His bride to a world that is starving for the gospel.
- Speaking Of... One Another. Friday night is the monthly coffee shop, The Living Room. Visit anytime between 6:30 and 9:30 pm - even for a few minutes. Next month you might just stay longer.
- Sunday's message returned to Ezra 4 as a warning that the greatest threat to God’s work is not open opposition but subtle compromise. Like the adversaries who claimed to worship the same God yet practiced syncretism, the modern church faces the danger of “Christ plus”—adding culture, politics, identity, or comfort alongside Jesus. Faithfulness means guarding sound doctrine, leadership, discipline, and discipleship while trusting that Christ Himself builds and preserves His church.
- Directory - We are updating the SSB directory - if you have changes from last year, let us know.
- Service Opportunity - We are still wanting to gather a few more to help serve in a great outreach opportunity. There are several ways you can help with the ESL classes. We have a training scheduled on March 13-14 at SSB but please visit with Jaime to learn more.
